Cord for telephone head sets



Aug. 18, 1925. 1,550,012

,c. P. CUSHWAY com) Fox" TELEPHONE HEAD SETS Filed July 30, 1934 (hanks Z? Cusfiway,

Patented Aug. lit,

umrnn starts rarsu'r oFFic CHARLES P. CUSI'IWAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BELIDEN MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CORD FOR TELEF HONE HEAD SETS.

Application. filed July 30, 192%. Serial No. 729,096.

To a ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES P. CUsH- wnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cords for Tele-- phone Head Sets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cords for telephone head sets, and is of particular value for use in connection with telephone head sets employing a pair of receivers serially connected to a common source. For example, my invention is of particular service in connection with head telephones used by radio listeners.

In the art of radio transmission as at present practiced, it is considered essential or advisable that the electromagnets of the telephone receivers should have the maximum number of convolutions possible, consistent with the magnet wires and manufacturing methods available. Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is desirable to use as large a diameter of magnet wire as possible consistent with the securing of the desired number of convolutions. Hence, it is the practice to connect the coils of the electric magnets in serieswith each other, and also to connect the receivers themselves in series with each other.

Most forms of telephone head sets now in use employ a pair of receivers, one for each ear of the listener, which are symmetrically connected to the receiving set or source of electric energy. That is to say, they are of the Y-type with two conductors of equal length extending from the source respectively to terminals of the separate receivers, with a third conductor extending down and around the branches of the Y for connecting together remaining terminals of the two receivers. This Y-shaped cord hanging down from just below the ears of the listener frequently becomes tangled, which is particularly true when the head set is removed and also disconnected from the receiving set, requiring a time consuming and troublesome untangling or straightening out operation before the listener can resume the use of the head set. i

The principal objects of the invention are to provide an arrangement and construction of connector cord which will render the head set more sightly, more convenient to manipulate, and less liable to be deranged, either electrically or mechanically, than has heretofore been possible; toprovide an arrangement and construction of the character referred to which is of simple design, and which can be economically manufactured in large quantities without specialized equipment and by relatively unskilled operators; to provide a construction of cord which shall be extremely rugged and durable in service, and in general, to provide an improved eflicient cord construction and arrangement of the character referred to.

In the drawings which illustrate my invention as applied to a set of radio head telephones, Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the combination cord, telephones, and sup porting harness applied to the ears of a radio listener. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the connecting cord, showing the arrangement of the conductors and terminals, and Fig. 3 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 10 and 11 represent receivers of the ordinary watch-case type and provided with the usual concealed terminals to which the tips of the flexible conducting cord may be attached. Said receivers 10 and 11 are secured in position against the ears of the listener, and are supported by a spring harness 12, which extends over the head and is equipped with the usual adjusters 13 and 14.

One terminal of the receiver 10 is connected to one terminal 15 of the receiving set 16 by a conductor 17. One of the terminals of the receiver 11 is connected to the other terminal 18 of the receiving set by means of a conductor 19. The remaining terminals of the receivers 10 and 11 are connected together by a conductor 20. All of these conductors 17, 19 and 20 are of usual construction and may have colored tracers to insure correct polarity when connecting up the device. The ends of the conductors are preferably fitted with tips of usual construction, for example 21, 22, 23, 24-, 25 and 26.

An important phase of my invention is the mannerin which the enclosed casing 27 for the conductor 17, 19 and 20 is constructed and arranged. Such casing preferably consists ot a braid of cotton or other thread indicated best in Fig. 3 of the drawings,

and as is customary in such constructions, the ends 28 and 29 01" said braid are continued beyond the points 30 and 31, where the braid ceases to act as a jacket or casing for the conductors. The free ends 28 and 29 may be tied or otherwise secured respectively to the receiving set and to the harness so as to relieve the conductors of mechanical strain.

It will be observed that instead of employing two distinct braids or braid portions, as is necessary with the prior Y construction, and which requires two separate and distinct braiding operations, my construction enables a single continuous one piece casing or braid to be employed, such braid extending without break from the remote receiver 1.0 to the receiving set 16. Also it will be observed that at an intermediate point in its length, for say, an inch or so, the braid includes or encloses portions of all three of the conductors 17, 19 and 20, thereby eliminating all danger of weakness due to the bringing out of the conductor ends to which the tips 23 and 24- for the intermediate receiver 11 are attached.

Preferably the portion 32 of the cord which is remote from the receiving set ex tends over the head of the listener and is secured to the harness 12 in any suitable manner, for example, by metal clips 33 and 34:. This minimizes tangling of the various parts of the cord since there is only a single strand 35 extending from the receiving set to the head set.

It will be manifest to those skilled in the art of manufacturing electrical Cordage that the braid can be applied to the three conductors 17, 19 and 20 in a single braiding operation, or rather at a single setting, the braiding operation being twice interrupted to permit, first, the insertion of one conductor and second, the bringing out of the end of one of the previously braided conductors. Great economy in manufacture results. The completed article is neat in appearance, substantial in construction, and will far outlast in service, cords of the prior Y construction.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a pair of telephone receivers each adapted to be electrically con nected to a pair of cord terminals, and means for serially connecting said receivers to a common source of electrical energy, comprising a flexible conductor extending from one receiver to said source, a flexible conductor extending from said source to one terminal of the other receiver, a third conductor extending between the remaining terminals of said receivers, and a casing for said conductors extending from a point adjacent said first mentioned receiver to a point adjacent said source and enclosing for an immediate portion of its length, portions of all of said conductors, and having on either side of said intermediate portion, a length which encloses two only of said conductors.

2. In combination, a pair of telephone receivers each adapted to be electrically connected to a pair of cord terminals, and means for serially connecting said receivers to a common source of electrical energy, comprising a flexible conductor extending from one receiver to said source, a flexible conductor extending from said source to one terminal of the other receiver, a third conductor extending between the remaining terminals of said receivers, and a casing for said conductors extending from a point adjacent said first mentioned receiver to a point adjacent said source and enclosing for an. intermediate portion of its length, portions of all of said conductors, and having a portion remote from the source, enclosing the first and third mentioned conductors and a portion adjacent the source, enclosing the first and third mentioned conductors.

3. In combination, a pair of telephone receivers each adapted to be electrically connected to a pair of cord terminals, a harness for mechanically connecting said receivers, and for supporting same on the head of the listener, and means for serially connecting said receivers to a common source of electrical energy, comprising a flexible conductor extending from one receiver to said source, a flexible conductor extending from said source to one terminal of the other receiver, a third conductor extending between the remaining terminals of said receivers, and a casing for said conductors extending from a point adjacent said first mentioned receiver to a point adjacent said source and enclosing for an intermediate portion of its length, portions of all of said conductors, and having a portion remote from the source, enclosing the first and third mentioned conductors and a portion adjacent the source, enclosing the first and third mentioned conductors, said remote portion adapted to extend over or around the head and be supported by said harness.

4. A telephone cord having a flexible conductor extending continuously from end to end thereof, a second conductor extending along said cord from one end thereof, and branching at an intermediate point in the length of said cord, athird conductor extending to and branching from said cord at an intermediate point beyond said first intermediate point, and a continuous one piece braid constituting a casing for said conductors, extending from one end of said cord to the other, and enclosing for an intermediate portion of its length, between said two intermediate points, all three of said conductors.

CHARLES P. CUSHVAY. 

